1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to vehicle telematics. More specifically, embodiments relate to wireless, internet-based systems that collect, transmit, and analyze diagnostic and location-based data from a motor vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Some vehicles include global positioning systems (‘GPSs’). A conventional GPS features an antenna that receives signals from orbiting satellites and a chipset that processes these signals to calculate a GPS ‘fix’. The fix features data such as a vehicle's latitude, longitude, altitude, heading, and velocity. The fix describes the vehicle's location with a typical accuracy of about 10 meters or better.
Light-duty automobiles and trucks beginning with model year 1996 include on-board diagnostic (OBD-II) systems as mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). OBD-II systems monitor the vehicle's electrical, mechanical, and emissions systems and generate data that are processed by a vehicle's engine control unit (ECU) to detect malfunctions or deterioration in the vehicle's performance. The data typically include parameters such as vehicle speed (VSS), engine speed (RPM), engine load (LOAD), and mass air flow (MAF). The ECU can also generate diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), which are 5-digit codes (e.g., ‘P0001’) indicating electrical/mechanical problems with the vehicle. Most vehicles manufactured after 1996 include a standardized, serial 16-cavity connector, referred to herein as an ‘OBD-II connector’, that makes these data available. The OBD-II connector serially communicates with the vehicle's ECU and typically lies underneath the vehicle's dashboard.
Conventional GPSs can be combined with systems for collecting the vehicle's OBD-II diagnostic data to form ‘telematics’ systems. Such telematics systems typically include (1) a microprocessor that runs firmware that controls separate circuits that communicate with different vehicle makes (e.g., Ford, GM, Toyota) to collect OBD-II data; (2) a GPS module; and (3) a separate wireless transmitter module that transmits the GPS and OBD-II data.